SEOFOMO is a weekly free newsletter sent to +35K subscribers with the latest SEO news, updates, guides, tips, free tools and jobs. Avoid missing any worthy SEO update and subscribe now!
π The latest in Search Updates, News & More [August 25, 2024]
Published 5 months agoΒ β’Β 9 min read
August 25, 2024 βSubscribe and join +34.7K SEOs and Marketers
βGoogle Quietly Launches New AI Crawler: Google-CloudVertexBot βRoger Montti / Google Product Updates βGoogle quietly added a new bot to their crawler documentation that crawls on behalf of commercial clients of their Vertex AI product. The documentation says the new crawler may crawl sites at the site ownerβs request.
βHelp! Google Search isn't indexing my pages [Video] βGoogle Search Central / SEO Made Easy βMartin Splitt discusses why the Search Console may display some of your website pages as βDiscovered - currently not indexedβ and what you can do to remedy the issue.
β
βBing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console: A Comparisonβ βFabrice Canel / Bing Search Trends βFabrice shares the top 3 features and insights that make BWT a valuable asset in your SEO strategy. He also compares several of BWTβs features with those in GSC, highlighting how each tool can enhance your SEO efforts.
β
βWorking With Search Console API [Podcast] βββGoogle Search Central / Search off the Record βIn this episode of Search Off the Record, John Mueller and Martin Splitt talk with Mihai Aperghis about how he started his SEO agency, built tools, and his role as a Product Expert in the Search Central Help Community.
[Sponsor]β ββ‘ New from Wix: SEO resource center
β
This new addition to Wixβs SEO Learning Hub is packed with free resources, created by top SEOs in the game. The topics they cover range from backlink monitoring to creating SEO project proposals for potential clients, and a whole lot more.
These downloadable checklists, templates, and toolkits let you develop smoother SEO processes and ramp up productivityβon any project.
Each resource can be customized for specific tasks and shared with teammates and clients for more effective collaboration.
Between July 21st and August 21st, 2024, we gathered insights from 337 SEO specialists who provide consulting servicesβwhether full-time, part-time, independently, or within agencies.
β
I want to thank all the SEOFOMO subscribers and friends who participated, and take the opportunity to announce the winner of the SEOFOMO mug and hoodie giveaway: Liraz Postan!
β
Now letβs review the results. This survey offers a comprehensive look at the current state of SEO consulting, highlighting common challenges, preferred tools, and anticipated trends for the coming year.
Here are the most compelling insights that offer a deeper understanding of todayβs SEO consulting landscape:
Most of the SEO consultants prefer to focus ongoing SEO processes (79%) rather than one-time SEO consultancies (56%).
Most SEO consultants get their clients by clients or other companies referrals (77%) rather than other channels such as events (25%).
Most SEOs provide consultancy through video conference calls, team messaging platforms and project management systems, with only 35% mentioning in-person meetings.
A high share of SEOs find it more difficult to sell SEO now vs a couple of years ago (43%) as well as harder to achieve SEO goals (58%).
An increase in competition and complexity, as well as frequent Google Updates and limitations in client budget or resources, were mentioned to cause the growing difficulty in achieving SEO goals compared to a few years ago.
Most of the sites that SEO consultants have been working on have seen a positive effect from a Google Update or havenβt been affected in the last couple of years, and those who have been negatively affected in the last couple of years by a Google update, answered that their sites have recovered after taking action.
The top SEO tools used for SEO consultancy work are Screaming Frog, Semrush, Google Search Console and Ahrefs.
Most SEOs who took the survey are leveraging AI tools or functionalities in their SEO consulting activities.
Most SEOs expect Google updates favoring certain types of sites (such as UGC or big brands) as well as their own features or services and the inclusion of AI Overviews to become a real threat to SEO consulting efforts in the next year.
A focus on content quality and EEAT, traffic diversification as well as staying up to date are the most common proactive approaches by SEO consultants to tackle the current SEO consulting challenges and threats.
βThe Sleazy World of Reddit Marketing, Everything is Fake βLars Lofgren / Search Trends βLars shares the different ways spammers spam Reddit with affiliate links. βGoogle is 100% responsible for how insane the spam has gotten on Redditβ.
βHow to Become an SEO Conference Speaker βRyan Law / General SEO βStart with webinars and internal presentations, speak at local meetups, and speak from experience. Ryan asked experienced SEOs to share their best advice for aspiring speakers.
β
βHow to Find & Fix Orphan Pages βRyan Jones / Technical SEO βOrphan pages can harm the organic search performance of your meant-to-be-ranked pages. Ryan shows how to identify, fix, and prevent them effectively.
β
βHow To Craft A Winning SEO Strategy βKevin Indig / General SEO βCreate a winning SEO strategy with Kevin's expert tips and insights, where he explains how to avoid falling into the tactics trap, and learn how to prioritize and seize opportunities.
β
βHow To Identify & Reduce Render-Blocking Resources βAbby Hamilton / Core Web Vitals βIdentifying and reducing render-blocking resources helps ensure visual content loads fast. Abby shares how to identify and reduce them in this comprehensive guide.
β
β6 Underrated Keyword Research Methods β Whiteboard Friday [Video]β βSofia Tyson / Keyword Research βTarget competitor-branded keywords, implement structured feedback groups, and map content to funnel stages. Sofia goes through six underrated methods to enrich your keyword lists in the latest edition of Whiteboard Friday.
βBalancing Optimization With User Intent βGabriella Sannino / General SEO βLearn how to balance technical SEO and user intent with impactful, user-focused content creation for better ranking and higher conversions.
β8 Remarkable SEO Podcasts to Level Up Your Knowledge βShreelekha Singh / General SEO βWith dozens of SEO podcasts vying for your attention, choosing the right ones can be overwhelming. Shreelekha shares the top 8 SEO podcasts to help you stay ahead of the curve.
β‘ See What Content Changes Improved Your Competitors' Rankings with Ahrefs
Want to know what content changes improved your competitors' rankings? You can find out with Ahrefsβ new Content Changes feature.β β Itβs essentially a version of βWayback Machineβ integrated into Ahrefsβ Site Explorer. It works in the Overview Chart which allows you to analyze any page:
β
And it works in the Top Pages report, where you can see which of the money pages had significant content changes followed by a spike in traffic. See how your competitors improve their content and maintain your competitive edge with Ahrefs.
Are you looking for more SEO Tools? Take a look at the SEOFOMO SEO Toolboxβ
[Sponsor]β ββ‘ Local SEO For Good: 13 speakers, 9 sessions, 1 day of incredible insights!
β
Get your ticket to BrightLocalβs virtual conference, Local SEO for Good, taking place September 12. Enjoy talks and panels hosted by industry experts, including:
User-friendly SEO: Shifting Focus from Search Engines to Your Userβs Needs with Preeti Gupta (Packted)
Land Grab:How to Win Business from Your Local Competitors with Google PPC with Tanesha Austen (Armchair Marketing)
The Future of Business Discovery with Ben Fisher (Steady Demand), Steve Wiideman (Wiideman Consulting) and Dale Bertrand (Fire&Spark)
The Power of Cross-functional Collaboration:How Other Teams Make Us Better SEOs with Sofia Tyson
And moreβ¦
Tickets start from just $50βa bargain compared to other conferences in our industry. Youβll get a top-notch conference experience without blowing your training budget.
Plus, all funds raised go straight to charities nominated by our speakers. So, not only will you get a day of amazing insights and expertise, but youβll also be helping a whole bunch of charities across the globe. Explore the full line-up and secure your ticket today!
βSEO for Paws 2024 - Support Ukrainian Animal Shelters βAnton Shulke / Online / Free / September 25, 2024 βJoin SEO for Paws on September 25 for a day filled with inspiring talks with the charity livestream featuring John Mueller, Aleyda Solis, Gianluca Fiorelli, Gerry White, Natalia Witczyk, Bibi Raven, James Wirth and more.
β
βGreenSEO Fringe Eventβ GreenSEO / Brighton, UK / Free / October 2, 2024 βJoin Rowan Chernin, Aaron James, and more to discover how SEO practices can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of websites through sustainable digital strategies.
π Refer SEOFOMO to your SEO Friends and Win Rewards
If you enjoy reading SEOFOMO, refer it to your SEO and digital marketing friends and win awesome (now updated) prizes with the SEOFOMO rewards program:
* Refer 2 Subscribers: Get a shout-out on X/Twitter and LinkedIn from Aleyda, thanking your support. * Refer 5 Subscribers: Get featured in the "Supporters" thank you section in an edition of SEOFOMO. * Refer 15 Subscribers: Get access to 3 Actionable (exclusive) SEO How-Tos / Tips Videos. * Refer 35 Subscribers: Get a free copy of The SEO Playbook by Tomek Rudzki. * Refer 70 Subscribers: Get free access to the Google Search Console Mastery Course by Tomek Rudzki * Refer 100 Subscribers: Get 1 Year Team Subscription to SEOTesting.com * Refer 200 Subscribers: Get 1 Access to SE Ranking Essential for 1 Year * Refer 300 Subscribers: Get 1 Access to JetOctopus 500K Pages for 1 Year * Refer 400 Subscribers: Get 1 Access to Advanced Web Ranking Agency Package for 1 Year * Refer 500 Subscribers: Get a 1 hour SEO 1-1 Hangout w/ Aleyda, an Awesome SEOFOMO Hoodie and Mug
Note: Only real human referrals will be counted toward the rewards, and there will be a validation if suspicious activity is detected.
Thanks for reading, until next week!
Aleyda Solisβ SEO Consultant & Founder Orainti, SEOFOMO & MarketingFOMO βFollow me on βX/Twitterβ / βYouTubeβ / βLinkedInβ / βWebsiteβ
β
SEOFOMO: The Newsletter to Keep up with SEO
by Aleyda Solis, SEO Consultant
SEOFOMO is a weekly free newsletter sent to +35K subscribers with the latest SEO news, updates, guides, tips, free tools and jobs. Avoid missing any worthy SEO update and subscribe now!